A £54 million vision to help get Leicester’s economy back on track post-Covid could include a rebuild of the city’s railway station and a satellite production facility.
Hundreds of jobs could be created under the plans to transform key areas of the city, an application for £39 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund going in this month.
The plans include a £22 million scheme to remodel Leicester railway station, creating a new gateway to the city, restoring the booking hall to its original size, and converting the covered Victorian entrance hall into space for bars, restaurants and shops.
READ MORE: {}
An £11 million proposals has also been drawn up to transform city council-owned Pilot House, in King Street, into space for start-ups and expanding businesses, which could support 250 jobs.
On top of those, a £21million project could support around 400 new jobs at three related projects in and around Pioneer Park and Exploration Drive, close to the National Space Centre.
The area is already home to the two Dock workspaces for high-tech industries, and the three new linked elements would see more Dock-style buildings and high-quality manufacturing spaces.
The vacant Ian Marlow Centre council depot site in nearby Blackbird Road would be transformed into light industrial spaces to provide needed small business units, while other land at Pioneer Park would be redeveloped to complement the University of Leicester’s Space Park – potentially creating spin-off production facilities for space and satellite technologies.
In total the schemes are expected to cost about £54 million, of which £39 million could come from Levelling Up fund bids, with the rest made up from existing match funding and council contributions.
Most Read
The bid proposals will be discussed by councillors on Wednesday, June 16, with the bids due to be submitted on Friday, June 18.
Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “The bids we are making for this for cash are the latest phase of our work to drive the city’s economic recovery, and would finance major, long-term projects to create new jobs, retain skilled workers and improve infrastructure in both the city centre and the Pioneer Park areas, as well as upgrading Leicester’s station to meet the modern needs of a city of this size.
“Businesses across the city have suffered greatly over the last 15 months or so, and it is vital we rebuild confidence in Leicester and let people know we are open for business.
“Part of that is ensuring the opportunities for skilled employment are there, meaning we retain skilled workers, develop high-manufacturing facilities and build on our reputation as a place which has much to offer businesses, and with good transport links to the rest of the region.
“Last month also saw the launch of the “We’ve Missed You” campaign, working with businesses to encourage people back into the city, so they can once again enjoy the retail, hospitality, heritage and entertainment we have on offer.
“As a city we’ve lived through a hard time recently, and this is the next important step in us being able to bounce back from that.”